Friday, April 10, 2015

Why Do We Read

A question that I have always been asked -and have never known how to answer properly- is: Why do you read?So I wanted to actually try to answer this question in the form of a blog post.

Many people have gotten into their heads that reading for pleasure is a form of procrastination, a way to avoid doing important things. But that is far from the truth. For me reading time is productive time. I have a tbr list that will take me years to finish and I want to be able to read all the books in it before I die. So, yes. Reading is spending time productively.

Basically, as sad or pathetic as it might sound to others, by reading you make friends. Friends who, even though are fictional, help you through hardship and pain, when everyone else told you to get over it. Believe me, when I say, that I have found more comfort in books than in people throughout my lifetime.

For people whose native language isn't English, like me, reading books in English, helps a whole lot. Besides watching movies and TV shows without subtitles, reading books in their original language has helped me so much. It has widened my vocabulary and has made me feel at ease with a language that is not completely my own. And because of English books, I have become so accustomed to speaking and understanding the language, that I have decided that I will be studying in England or Scotland in two years time.

In times, when I have just finished a book and I have no one to spill out my feelings to, I have the chance to go online and talk to other people who've read the book and are willing to talk about it with me. Reading has offered me so much. I discovered the online book community through reading (obvs) and I've met so many amazing people and I've made so many friends. I am honestly grateful for the book community.

I don't think I can describe exactly how I feel about reading. It's not a just a hobby anymore. It's become a huge part of my life that I hope I will never let go of.

6 comments:

Well hello Helen. My question is a bit different than what you have had been asked. Man tell me how do you decide which book to read. You've mentioned book community, what is that ? Also help me to improve my writing skills. 😊

Well, to answer your first question, I don'y really know :P Basically, I just go and stand in front of my bookshelf and stare at my books for about 5 minutes, before I choose what reading mood I'm in (I mean like if I want to read something with romance in it or fantasy). And, the book community is basically all book lovers on social media. You can find them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, here on Blogger. There are so many amazing people out there, who you can talk to about books!! Lastly, do you mean literary writing skills or review writing? :)